Meet Elliot James Reay: a young artist who channels the timeless sounds of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Billy Fury for the present day. After organically building 3 million followers and hundreds of millions of views across social media, Elliot now introduces himself to an even wider audience as he shares his debut single ‘I Think They Call This Love’. The track has generated immense anticipation at socials, with over 10 million views and 650,000 likes of its teasers on TikTok.
From that velveteen voice to his authentic love of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll through to his debonair look, it’s easy to see why Elliot is inspiring such highfalutin comparisons. ‘I Think They Call This Love’ has the kind of timeless romance, classic songwriting and swooning vocal harmonies to suggest it’s his take on some long-lost ’50s deep cut… but it’s the first of a growing songbook of originals that Elliot will unveil soon.
Elliot collaborated with producer duo SOAP (Alessi Rose, Larkins, Phoebe Hall) to ensure that as much of the recording sessions stayed true to the style of the genre. They used live instruments, vintage equipment and recorded live to tape as much as possible, all the while keeping digital manipulation to an absolute minimum. Elliot wrote the song with Glen Roberts(AURORA, Olivia Dean, Rachel Chinouriri) and Annielle Lisiuk.
Elliot says, “Growing up with the sounds of Elvis, Roy Orbison, and Billy Fury really shaped my love for music. I’ve been lucky to share that passion over the last couple years on social media with over 3 million amazing fans.
After a year in the studio finding my own voice and sound, I’m excited to finally release my debut single, ‘I Think They Call This Love’. This song means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll find your own connection to it.”
A 22-year-old from Bury, near Manchester, Elliot has the natural charisma and magnetic aura to make him a star in the making. His social media videos, however, don’t rely on anything flashy or outrageous: just the simple appeal of a mesmerising voice singing some of his favourite songs as he goes about everyday tasks such as making his coffee, cleaning or combing his hair. The reaction has been suitably impressive. Two videos of him performing ‘Devil in Disguise’ (Elvis) and‘Thinking Out Loud’ (Ed Sheeran) now have a combined 56 million views at TikTok alone.
Elliot has spent much of the last 18 months travelling, taking him across South East Asia before busking in Australia and then working in Los Angeles with Grammy-winning collaborators such as The Stereotypes (Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Beyonce). Expect more new music from him in the coming months, with even bigger things planned for 2025.
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